


one shots | avatar

by witchbod



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:48:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25021195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/witchbod/pseuds/witchbod
Summary: hi this just another collection of one shots!
Relationships: Sokka (Avatar)/Reader, Sokka/Original Character(s), Zuko (Avatar)/Original Female Character(s), Zuko (Avatar)/Reader
Comments: 17
Kudos: 243





	1. dreams | zuko x reader

Sleep didn’t come easily most nights. You’d always been something of an insomniac, always had trouble falling asleep, but it was the nightmares that really got you.

Your dreams were filled with fire. Growing up in the fire nation unable to bend fire, you had always feared it. Everyone around you could produce flames, and you were defenseless. Since you were a little girl, you’d avoided sleep, because when you slept, people you loved got burned.

Of course, it helped when you met Zuko. He taught you that fire could be more than anger and destruction, that fire could be life. He took away some of the fear during the day, but it still lingered at night.

Tonight, the fire burned your skin. It engulfed the world around you, catching on your clothes and hair. Someone is standing a few feet away, watching. You try to yell out for help, try to reach your hand through the flames. You watch as the skin on your fingers blister and scar.

In an instant, you wake up. You look down on your hands. No scars. You sigh, relieved to be awake. The real panic over dreams like this had dissipated a long time ago, but you’d never fully been able to shake the uneasy feeling you got when you woke up.

You slipped out of your sleeping bag, careful to not wake your friends near you. Your feet moved in the direction of Zuko’s tent before you could even really think about it. Technically speaking, the two of you were a secret, but you weren’t very good at keeping secrets, and you were pretty sure everyone knew. Even if they did know, they chose not to say anything.

You move the cloth covering the entrance to his tent. A wave of relief washes over you just seeing his face. You look back, making sure you hadn’t woken anyone up, before stepping in.

“Zuko,” you say, kneeling down next to him. He doesn’t stir from his sleep. “Zuko,” you say again, this time resting a hand on his shoulder. He sharply inhales, but his eyes still don’t open. You sigh, this is usually what happened, Zuko was a surprisingly heavy sleeper.

Tired of waiting, you pull open his sleeping bag and slip inside, your face now inches from his. You reach up a hand to brush some hair out of his eyes, and he unconsciously leans into your touch. You smile to yourself. “Can you just wake up already?” you whisper, running your thumb across his cheekbone.

That seems to do the trick. You watch as his eyes flutter open, pulling your hand away and folding into yourself. The feeling of relief grows stronger when his eyes lock with yours. “y/n,” he says, propping himself up on his elbow, his hands reaching up to cup your cheeks, “are you okay?” You nod, practically melting into his touch. “Was it a nightmare?” he asks. You nod again. With one hand, you grab onto his wrist next to your face, and you roll into him, wrapping your arm around his torso and resting your head on his chest. “Oh, y/n,” he says, his arms tightening around you.

“You know, it would be nice to be able to just have one good night,” you say. You can already feel your eyelids starting to droop, and you wish that you could just fall asleep like this from the start of the night.

Zuko sighs. “I know, sweetheart.” He places a kiss in your hair, a hand rubbing circles onto your back. “Can I do anything to help?”

You move your head from his chest to look up at him. “Yes,” you say, “but you’re already doing it.” You press a kiss to his jaw, your head dropping back onto his shoulder with a yawn.

“Get some rest, my love,” he whispers, pulling you in closer if that’s even possible. “I won’t let anything happen to you.” The sound of his voice always seemed to soothe you back to sleep, and this time was no exception. Within minutes, you felt sleep take over.

You didn’t have any nightmares this time, but you usually didn’t when you slept next to Zuko. The sun was already glistening in through the opening of the tent by the time you woke up. You untangle your limbs from Zuko, stretching and rubbing the sleep from your eyes.

You hear a groan next to you, and suddenly the boy you’d just pulled away from wraps his body back around yours. You laugh, your hands falling into his hair as he rests his head onto your chest. “Zuko,” you say, “I have to get back to my tent before someone finds us.”

He makes no attempt to move. “Let them,” he says, his voice muffled by your shirt.

You sigh. It’s definitely tempting, giving in and letting all your friends find out. No more sneaking around, the ability to interact with him the way you want, whenever you want. But you forget that, and say, “You’re just saying that because you’re tired.”

“No,” he says, looking up at you, his chin resting on your chest, “I mean it. Let them find us. I’m tired of not being able to do this every night.” 

You study his face, trying to decide if he’s serious. When you don’t detect anything to prove otherwise, you smile. “Okay,” you say.

He doesn’t reply, pressing his cheek back into you. Your heart starts to race at the prospect of getting caught, and you can tell Zuko feels it when he rolls so that you’re back in his arms.

Katara finds you a few minutes later, and the chaos that ensues among the group for the next thirty minutes is worth it now that you sleep soundly next to Zuko every night.


	2. sick | sokka x reader

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> you're sick and sokka takes care of you because he's the best boyfriend ever.

You had woken up with a horrible headache. Sokka had already gotten up, unbelievably, so you shook it off and slipped out of your sleeping bag, ignoring the ache in the rest of your body.

The rest of your friends had already woken up, already working on cleaning up camp from the night before and getting ready for the day. You make yourself busy helping Katara take down the tents. The pulsing in your head only continues, coupled with chills despite the warm weather. You’re starting to feel lightheaded, but you assume you just need something to eat.

“Hey,” you say, sitting down next to Sokka, “what’s on the agenda for today?” You’re still pushing away how awful you feel as you reach over to grab some of the food he’s holding.

He gasps as your skin brushes his. “y/n,” he says, grabbing onto your hand, “you’re burning. Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah,” you lie, not wanting him to worry, “just a bit of a headache.”

He reaches up to press a hand to your forehead. “Your face is on fire,” he says. His hands cup your cheeks, cooling the skin. You sigh, closing your eyes and leaning into his touch. “Oh, y/n,” he coos.

“I feel like shit,” you tell him finally. “I think I’m sick.” You lean forward and rest your forehead on his shoulder.

“No, really?” he teases, but reaches around you to rub a hand on your back. “I don’t know why you just tell me when you feel sick,” he says.

“There’s so much to do,” you say. “And, besides, I don’t want to worry you.”

He laughs and pulls you into his side completely. “You know I’m gonna worry regardless.”

“You do worry a lot,” you laugh.

You fall into a comfortable silence for a few minutes, he knows how much you hate doing anything when you’re sick. “You should get some rest,” he says finally, smoothing a hand through your hair before standing up and pulling you with him.

Katara, observant as always, left the last tent standing for you, and she gives you a smile as Sokka leads you inside. “Lay down,” he says, helping you sit, “I’m gonna go get you some water and something to eat.”

“No,” you protest as he turns to leave. “Can you just stay here for a little while?” you ask, pouting as you reach your hands out to him.

He laughs, walking back and kneeling down next to you, brushing back a few hairs that were sticking to your forehead. “I promise, I’ll be right back,” he says. “You need to eat something.” He presses a kiss to your forehead before heading back outside the tent.

You sigh, trying, and failing, to get comfortable. You needed Sokka.

He comes back a few minutes later, some food in one hand and water in the other. “Katara says you need to eat and drink all of this before you’re allowed to go back to sleep.” You sit up, groaning. You reach up and grab the things from his hands. “I know,” he laughs, “but just do it so we don’t have to listen to it later.”

“Hey!” you hear Katara yell from outside.

“Sorry,” Sokka yells back, smiling at you. He sits down next to you as you slowly eat the bread. You don’t have much of an appetite, but you know Katara’s right, so you finish the piece before sipping at the water.

You’re freezing, but the fever is making you sweat. Sokka reaches up and pulls his hair out of his ponytail, pulling your own hair back and securing it when he notices how sticky your forehead is. He rests his hand on the back of your neck, warming your clammy skin.

You finish the water, and hand the cup back to him, laying back on your pillow as you do so. He calls to Katars to refill the cup, you’re pretty sure she does, but you’re already falling back asleep.

Sokka finally lays down next to you, wrapping an arm around your waist and pulling you into him. You rest your head on his chest, and he rubs soothing circles on your back. You sigh, falling asleep almost instantly.

You don’t know how long you’re asleep, but when you wake up, Sokka’s still laying underneath you. His hand is still running up and down your back, so he’s still awake. You rub your eyes, sitting up.

“How’re you feeling, sleepy head?” Sokka asks, sitting up next to you.

“A little better,” you say, leaning your head onto his shoulder.

His hand comes up to feel your forehead. “It feels like your fever broke.” Your body temperature did feel a lot more well regulated, you were no longer shivering and sweating at the same time.

“How long was I asleep?” you ask him.

“Just a couple hours,” he says. “Everyone went into town to get some things, Katara said she was gonna look for medicine.”

You smile. “She’s my favorite,” you say.

“Hey!” He leans away from you to look at you, frowning.

You laugh, pressing your thumb in between his eyebrows to rub the scowl off his face. “Besides you, of course,” you say, and press a kiss on his cheek.


	3. bedtime stories | zuko x reader

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a preview into your domestic life with zuko.
> 
> i got super carried away with this one but i honestly love how it turned out!

He’d kill you if you ever told anyone, but Zuko was amazing with kids.

Whenever there were kids in the palace, they were drawn towards him. They’d come stumbling into his office or find him when they were lost in the halls looking for their way back to their parents. The first time you noticed, you were taken back at how patient and gentle he was with the little boy, pinching his cheek and grabbing onto his hand to help him find his way.

This happened more than once. A few times you found him sitting along the pond feeding the turtle ducks, a small boy or girl sitting next to him. You would sit down on the other side, and he'd smile and hand you a chunk of bread to throw into the water. Sometimes the child would crawl over to sit in between the two of you, sometimes he’d be too preoccupied with Zuko to even notice you’d joined, but he’d introduce you every time, upgrading you from girlfriend to fiancee to wife as the years went on.

It was all those little moments that reassured you when you two had kids of your own. You were terrified, but you already knew Zuko would be the best father. He would laugh as the two of you laid on your bed, “I don’t know any more about parenting than you do, sweetheart.”

“Sure,” you’d say, “but kids fucking love you.”

“They love you, too!” he says, pressing a kiss on your knuckles.

“No, no, not in the way they love you.”

You were both right, in one way or another. Both your girls loved you, of course, but not in the way that they loved Zuko. He was their spitting image, strong-willed and hot-headed but also kind and loving.

You would take the girls into your room at night while they were getting ready to sleep, cleaning them up and tucking them into your bed to read them a story while you waited for Zuko to come to say goodnight. A few times he was late, and you tried to put the girls to bed without saying goodnight, but they refused. So, now, if he’s in the middle of a meeting, he has to slip away so his girls can fall asleep at a reasonable hour.

He wasn’t late tonight, though, walking in as you were putting the girls in their nightgowns. “What story have we got tonight, mom?” he asks, leaning down to press a kiss on your temple before grabbing the second nightgown on the bed and changing your youngest while you finished helping your oldest.

“Well, since your back early,” you say, “maybe you could tell us a story tonight?” In part, you were exhausted. The girls had not been easy that day, but they were at those difficult ages. But also, you loved hearing his stories, despite being by his side for most of them.

“Please, Daddy?” your oldest pleaded, running to grab his leg as he places the younger girl on the bed.

He scoops her up and walks over to tuck her in next to her sister. “Hm, which one should I tell?” he jokes, pretending to think. You slide in on the opposite side of the bed, sandwiching the girls between the two of you. “How about I tell you about when I ran a tea shop with your Great Uncle Iroh?”

“Oh, that one’s my favorite,” you say, pinching the cheek of the little girl next to you as she yawns and nuzzles into your side.

And so he tells the story, embellishing greatly about the people that came into the tea shop and making up crazy tea flavors, causing giggles from his daughters. Your youngest is asleep before he finishes, but your oldest keeps herself awake, despite Zuko’s comforting touch and her obvious tiredness. She listens intently, letting out little gasps and laughs amongst her yawns.

When the story is over, you gently pick up the sleeping girl while Zuko picks up the oldest, barely awake. She’d be asleep before he made it to her room. When he comes back only a few moments after you, you knew your suspicions were true.

“She fell asleep before her head even hit the pillow, didn’t she?” you ask. You're sitting at the vanity in your room, brushing through your hair.

“Oh, of course,” he says, walking up behind you and pulling the brush from your hand. He takes his time smoothing through the knots in your hair before placing the brush back down in front of you and resting his chin on the top of your head. You sigh, leaning back against his warm body. “How was your day?” he asks.

“Those sweet little girls were menaces,” you say. You stand up from your chair to wrap your arms around his neck. You'd been craving his touch all day. “They must be your daughters.”

He laughs, wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you in tight against his chest. “Menaces, huh?” he says. “Maybe they learned from their Uncle Sokka.”

“Oh, no,” you say, resting your chin against him to look up at his face. “They learned from you, baby.” He smiles and leans down to connect his lips with yours. For a moment, you lean into the kiss, and then you remember how tired you are. “No more babies,” you say, pulling away. “Not yet, at least.”

“Just one more,” he says, resting his fingers underneath your chin to pull your lips back to his. You shriek against his mouth as he leans down and grabs onto your thighs, hoisting you up before placing you back down on the bed. He disconnects from you, standing up to start pulling off his clothes. He was still in his Fire Lord attire, having not found the time to change before putting the girls to bed.

“Hey,” you say, sitting up slightly to rest on your elbows, “unless you're changing into more clothes, you keep those on.”

He laughs, slipping off his heavy cloak and placing it on the vanity chair, leaving him in only a pair of loose pants. You look him up and down, watching his muscles flex as he reaches to grab close to sleep in. “You seem to really be enjoying what you see,” he says, “considering you told me to put clothes on.”

Despite being married for four years, your face still heats up at his words, and you fall back into the bed with a groan. You hear him rustling around for a few more minutes as you just stare at the ceiling. Then, in an instant, you’re looking at his face looking down at you, arms holding him up on either side of your head.

“Hi,” you say, leaning up slightly to press a kiss on the tip of his nose.

“I think you missed,” he says, a cheeky smile spreading across his face. You lean up again, kissing his chin. “A little closer,” he says. Another one on his neck. “Further away.” The corner of his mouth. “Almost there.” You connect your lips with his, finally, and he kisses you back immediately. He rolls over so his back is against the mattress, your legs straddling his waist.

You pull away, resting a hand on his bare chest. “Hey,” you say, “when I said no babies I meant it.” His hands rub up and down your thighs, pushing up the skirt of your nightgown and warming the skin underneath.

“Who said anything about babies?” Zuko says, a smile filling his face. He slips the nightgown further up your thigh, pulling you back down to connect his lips to yours.

Nine months later, you had your first boy.


	4. late nights | zuko x reader

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> zuko doesn't know how to take care of himself. in turn, you really miss him.

Zuko had never been good at taking care of himself, everyone knew this. Iroh and yourself would try constantly to get him to slow down, take a breath. The subsequent dismissal of your recommendations usually resulted in an eye-roll from you and anyone else in the room.

You had gotten used to getting ready for bed and often falling asleep before Zuko had even finished working. You missed him. He slept by your side every night, kissed you good morning when the sun came up, but you still missed him.

You weren’t sure how late it was, but it was late. You had taken your time getting ready to sleep, trying to draw out the process in hopes that he’d step through the doors, but he didn’t come. You flop down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, counting your breaths as you wait for Zuko. Normally, you’d just fall asleep, but today, you just really wanted to be wrapped up in his arms.

With a sigh, you push yourself off the bed and slide into your robe before heading down the hallway, towards Zuko’s office. You stand in the doorway, watching him furiously look at the papers in front of him. You lean against the door frame, waiting for him to notice your presence.

“Now,” you finally speak, “what is so important that you don’t even notice me walking into the room?” His gaze moves up from his desk, and his expression softens slightly when he sees you in the room. He rests a hand on your hip as you approach his side. “You used to drop everything you were doing when I walked into the room.”

He laughs, looking up at you as his hand rubs circles onto your clothed hip. “I did drop everything, didn’t, I?” he says.

You reach down and press your thumb between his eyebrows, rubbing away the tension in his face. “That’s debatable,” you reply, smiling down at him. “Are you planning on coming to bed at some point tonight?” You ask.

“Yes,” he sighs, “I just need to finish this thing I’m working on.” You can tell he’s slightly frustrated by the way he furrows his brows together.

“Can’t it just wait until tomorrow morning, just this once?” you continue, grabbing onto his hand that’s resting on your hip. He pulls away, turning back to his desk.

“No, y/n, it can’t,” he says simply.

The change in his tone is infuriating, but you try to keep a level head. “It’s just-” you sigh and close your eyes, taking a second to compose yourself. “I’m afraid you’re gonna burn yourself out, Zuko. You’re no help to anyone if you crash.” He doesn’t reply, doesn’t look up from his papers. You know he’s frustrated, but you also know he must be tired. You brush back a few stray hairs that had fallen out of his bun. “I’m worried about you.”

“I don’t need you to worry about me,” he says, looking back up at you. Despite his hard words, his face softens. He’s stubborn but takes the time to listen to what you have to say.

“Yes, you do,” you say. You take a step closer, and his hand comes back to wrap around your waist to the small of your back. “If I don’t worry about you, you’ll forget you need to take care of yourself.” He sighs, resting his forehead against your stomach. “You’re tired. Let’s just go to sleep.”

“I really need to finish what I’m working on,” he says, his voice muffled by your robe. “What am I gonna say when this isn’t finished tomorrow morning?”

“The truth,” you say, running a hand through his hair.  
“Tell them you were tired.” You hear him sigh again. “And that I missed you,” you slipped, just under your breath.

He pulls away, looking up at you, confusion on his face. “What do you mean you miss me?” he asks. “I’m right here.” You purse your lips, taking a breath before looking back at him. You feel a few tears start to form, and you will them not to fall. He seems to understand all at once. He stands up, tucking your hair behind your ear before pulling you into his chest. “I’m right here,” he says again.

You don’t say anything else, instead just melting into his arms. His cheek rests on the top of your head, and his hands rub up and down your back. You’re not sure how long the two of you stand there, taking in the other.

“Okay,” he says finally, pulling away slightly to press a kiss into your hair, “let’s go to bed, yeah?”

Zuko pulls way less late nights after that, and you forget the time when you had to fall asleep without him next to you.


	5. promise | sokka x reader

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> you get really hurt and sokka makes you promise it'll never happen again

If you were being honest, you don’t quite remember how it all happened. On most other occasions, Sokka and yourself hold your ground pretty well.

But, today, you were outnumbered, badly. Five fire nation soldiers against two teenagers.

You were an earth bender, albeit not a very good one. Not nearly as good as Toph, who wasn’t around. It was just you and Sokka. And you were losing.

The two of you tried your best to hold them back, hoping to secure a retreat. But you took a wrong turn and found yourself cornered.

One of the soldiers sent a plume of fire in your direction, and without a second thought, you stepped in front of Sokka. The fire burned through your clothes, scorching your torso. You gasped at the pain but knew standing down was now an option. You didn’t get much time to recover though, before a sharp object was sent in your direction, piercing you where you had just been burned. You turned to Sokka.

The last thing you saw before the world went dark was his face, eyes wide, and his arms, ready to catch you.

You weren’t sure when, or frankly, how, you woke up. The pain is all over your body, and you ache as you take a breath. You pull up the blanket that’s been laid over you, noticing the bandages around your midsection. You open your mouth to try to yell out for someone, but your voice fails.

“Oh, my spirits,” you hear Katara say from the entrance of the tent. “You’re awake.” You try to speak back, try to sit up, but she rushes to your side. “No, no,” she says quietly, “just stay still, okay?” She places the container of water down next to you. She fills a cup of water and holds it to your mouth. “Drink this.”

It’s then that you notice Sokka on the other side of the tent, fast asleep. Anyone else would have woken up at the sound of someone speaking right next to them, but Sokka could sleep through the heaviest of rainstorms.

“He refuses to leave your side,” Katara whispers when she sees you looking at Sokka. “He’s been here for four days.”

“I’ve been out for four days?” you finally croak out, wincing at the pain that ensues. Katara nods. “And he’s been here the whole time?”

“Well, you almost died for him.”

Everything hits you all at once. The fire nation soldiers. Sokka. The burn.

Sokka stirs on the other side of Katara, and you hear him sigh before looking over at you. You’re sure he’s expecting to see you fast asleep, and his eyes go wide when he finally notices that you’re awake.

“Y/n,” he says, voice breathy as he scrambles to sit by your side. “You’re awake.”

“I’ll come back in a little bit,” Katara says. “We’ve got some work to do on the cut.” She gives you a small smile before leaving the tent.

Sokka’s silent when Katara leaves, and you can tell there are a million different thoughts running through his mind.

You smile up at him. “Hi,” you say, reaching up carefully to squeeze his hand.

Things with Sokka were, in word, complicated. Katara was convinced he had feelings for you, and you were pretty sure you had feelings for him too, but you both had too much pride to say anything.

“Do you realize you could have died?” Sokka says back. He hasn’t looked you in the eyes yet.

“But I didn’t, did I?” you say. His sadness is becoming unbearable. All you want is the goofy boy who you’ve grown to love.

“That’s not the point,” he says, his head falling. “If Aang hadn’t found us, you wouldn’t have…” his voice trails off, and he lets out a sigh.

“Sokka,” you say. You try to reach your hand up to his chin, but the shooting pain in your torso stops you. You hiss, face twisting at the pain.

You can hear his breath catch in your throat. “I’m gonna go get Katara,” he says and starts to stand.

“No,” you stop him. “I’m okay, really. I’ve gotten hurt before.” He doesn’t seem convinced. “Please, just, stay.”

He sits back down next to you. He lays down next week to you, his arms glued by his side. You smile and carefully slide closer, resting your head on his shoulder. He’s gentle, but he wraps an arm around you. It’s a position you’d assumed only a few times before, usually on nights when you can’t sleep, but it’s one you knew well.

“I just can’t lose you,” he says. It’s barely audible, but you hear every word.

Your heart hurts at his words. “You’re not gonna lose me,” you say.

“I almost did, though,” he says. You can hear in his voice that he’s about to cry. “You were almost gone and for a few days I got to see what it would be like without you and it was awful.” You carefully adjust, ignoring the pain to sit up slightly, looking at his face. You reach up and wipe away a team that’s slipped down his face. “I just can’t lose you, okay?” His hands come up to cup your cheeks. “Just promise me.”

You don’t argue that he’s being unreasonable, just say “I promise.” You lean down to place a kiss on his cheek, and he pulls you back as you start to lean away, pressing his lips firmly on yours. It’s soft and quick but affirming and strong. You pull away, a smile on your face, and he brushes some hair out of your face. You rest your head back on his chest, and you hear him sigh.

Neither of you says another word, simply basking in the silence and still reeling from the kiss.

Katara comes in a few minutes later, gasping when she sees the two of you. “I knew it!” she yells. And she did, she was right all along.


	6. stardust | zuko x reader

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> just a bunch of friends to enemies to lovers

“What the hell is he doing here?” you yell, dropping the firewood you held in your arms. Seeing his face made your chest hurt.

“He was just leaving,” Katara says, her face stern as she turns back to him.

Zuko looks at you, and the rest of the word goes fuzzy. Tunnel vision, and not the first time he’s given it to you. For a second, all the anger melts away. Your new friends are still speaking, and Zuko’s talking back, his eyes not leaving yours, but you can’t hear a word anyone’s saying.

You and Zuko used to be friends. Good ones, too. He used to sneak you into the palace at night so you could feed the turtle ducks. You would lay with your backs on the grass, cheeks barely pressed together, creating your own constellations in the stars. You would hide in the bushes when his mom came looking for him, but she always knew you were there, and she never cared.

You push away the memories, he doesn’t deserve the good ones anymore.

“You need to leave,” you say calmly, trying to save face. Your friends look back at you as you pick up the firewood you’ve dropped.

“y/n,” Zuko starts, his face pleading.

“No,” you say firmly, standing up to step closer to me. “You don’t get to do that to me.” Your eyes start to well up. He notices. You reach up to wipe away a tear that’s fallen. “Go,” you say, turning your back to him.

You hear him start to shuffle away as you brush past your friends, disappearing into the halls of the air temple.

Sokka finds you not long after. “So what was that all about?” he asks, sinking to the floor next to you.

You sigh. “I don’t think I want to talk about it,” you say. You try your best to keep your voice from cracking. “He’s gone, right?” you ask.

Sokka nods. “Yeah, he left right after you did.”

You press your lips together, closing your eyes. “I’m so angry at him,” you say under your breath. You wipe another tear off your face. “I don’t know why I’m crying,” you say, letting out a breathy laugh.

Your friends knew that you had known Zuko back when you lived in the fire nation. You had gone to the fire nation academy together, that was no secret. They didn’t know how close you had been, though, and you didn’t intend on telling them. It didn’t seem all that important, until the scene you’d just made. Until he’d decided he was “good”.

Despite Zuko being the prince, you had always resented the war. You knew it was immoral and wrong. The two of you had gotten in countless fights over this. You’d try to explain that Zuko didn’t know any better, he’d try to explain why the fire nation’s rule was destiny. When he came back as the prince after three years of being banished, having learned nothing, you were so angry that you ran away, in search of the avatar, to teach him the little firebending you knew. You weren’t a terribly qualified teacher, not nearly as good as Zuko or Azula, but you knew that the basics were better than nothing.

But you also knew he needed a better teacher, a stronger teacher.

“I shouldn’t have told him to leave,” you say to Sokka, cutting through the silence.

“What do you mean?” he asks. “No one even wants him here.” He looks at you, an incredulous look on his face.

“Aang needs a firebending teacher,” you say, “a good one. I didn’t learn enough to be that for him.” You sigh. “We’re gonna need him.”

Sokka stands now, confused, and a little angry. “Why should we trust him?” he says. “And why are you suddenly on his side? Don’t you hate him?”

You stand to match his height. “Of course I hate him, Sokka!” You think deep down that’s a lie, and it hurts a little bit to say. “But Aang needs to learn firebending if we’re gonna stand a chance of winning this war, and Zuko may be the only one who can teach him.” Sokka huffs.

You’re not sure if you’re saying all this because you want Aang to learn firebending, or if you want a chance to yell at Zuko, amongst other things. Either way, you’re gonna pretend it’s the former.

\----------------

The rest of the group isn’t too fond of the idea, besides Toph.

“Why are you suddenly switching sides, y/n?” Katara asks, flipping over the fish that’s over the fire. “You seemed to really hate him yesterday.”

“I’m not switching sides, Katara,” you say. You rub your face. “I do hate him, just as much as any of you, trust me.” You sigh. “But we all know that we’re dead in the water if Aang can’t firebend, and I don’t see any other options.”

“How do you know Zuko, anyway?” Toph asks, interrupting the conversation.

Your heart stops. “I told you,” you say, “we went to school together. We were in the same class.” You’re a bad liar, but it doesn’t seem like your friends are paying enough attention to notice, even Toph doesn’t say anything. You lean in a little closer to the fire, letting out a small flame from your palm to reignite the wood.

You weren’t really sure why you were suddenly advocating for his presence. You had no desire to see his face every day. But you knew that winning the war meant far more than the fact that you were angry at Zuko. You were starting to think the only chance you had was with him on your side.

“Well,” Aang starts, “if y/n knew Zuko and thinks he should join the team, maybe we should give him a chance?” He glances at Katara, knowing she’s the one that’s most against it. She lets out a sigh, laying back against the ground with a huff. “Or we’ll just think about it, I guess,” Aang says, giving you a worried look.

You slide over so you’re next to Katara, laying down so your head is next to yours. “I know you hate him,” you say to her, “and you know I do too,” you sigh, looking over at her, “but I think this might be bigger than our anger.” She doesn’t say a word, just lets out another huff, and stares up at the rocky ceiling.

A comfortable silence falls amongst the group, and you reach over to squeeze Katara’s hand. She looks over at you and gives you a smile.

“I'm definitely not happy about it,” Katara says, “but I trust you.”

You’re not prepared for the upcoming days, the upcoming fights, but the moment of calm is nice while it lasts.

\-----------------

And it most certainly doesn’t last.

Just a few hours pass, and suddenly you’re all dodging beams of fire that are somehow coming out of a man’s head. 

You slide behind the pillars of the air temple, seeking a solid rock to hide behind. Everyone's in a bad position, unable to fully get in a good hit.

You hear a shout, and it doesn’t take long for you to realize that it’s Zuko. You poke your head out from behind the column, just in time to watch him get sent off the side of the foothold. You hate the way it stings. The dust clears, and you can clearly see him hanging on to a vine, climbing his way back up.

The rest of the fight is a blur, but all you can seem to focus on is Zuko climbing his way back up to safety. You can’t help but sigh when he reaches the top, tucking yourself back behind the column.

In the end, Zuko manages to send Combustion Man, as your friends have affectionately dubbed him, falling into the foggy depths of the air temple. He finds his way down to where you and everyone else is standing.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but...thanks, Zuko,” Aang says. You help Toph make her way to settle in next him, with Sokka and Kata following close behind.

“Hey,” Sokka says, “what about me? I did the boomerang thing.” You shake your head at him.

“Listen, I know I didn't explain myself very well yesterday,” Zuko starts, “I've been through a lot in the last few years, and it's been hard. But I'm realizing that I had to go through all those things to learn the truth.” He looks at you. There’s something behind his eyes, caught in his throat, something you can’t put your finger on. “I thought I had lost my honor, and that somehow my father could return it to me. But I know now that no one can give you your honor. It's something you earn for yourself, by choosing to do what's right.” He looks down, breaking the soul-crushing stare he was giving you. “All I want to do now is play my part in ending this war, and I know my destiny is to help you restore balance to the world.”

You’re finding it really difficult to be angry at him at this moment.

He turns to Toph. “I'm sorry for what I did to you. It was an accident.” He bows at her, and you see her smile a little bit. “Fire can be dangerous and wild, so as a firebender, I need to be more careful and control my bending, so I don't hurt people unintentionally.”

Your ears start to ring at his words. Hurting people unintentionally seemed to be second nature to Zuko, this was quickly becoming clear. You try to focus back on the conversation, something about how Zuko’s meant to be Aang’s teacher, something about Aang needing to check with his friends before he can join the group. You inhale sharply and tune back in just as Aang turns to you.

“y/n?” Aang asks, looking at you.

You swallow hard. Zuko’s gaze is bearing into you, his ember eyes pleading. He knows that, as the one who knows him, your answer matters.

“You need to learn firebending,” you say, looking at Aang, then over to Zuko, “but don't think this changes anything.”

If it wasn't already clear that Zuko was more than just a classmate, your attitude likely sealed the deal.

Zuko thanks everyone, though you've stopped listening again.

“y/n, can you show Zuko his room?” Sokka asks, cutting through the silence. You give him a glare, please don't make me, and he looks back, eyes pleading.

“Fine,” you say with a sigh. “C’mon,” you motion for Zuko to follow you, and you head into the halls of the temple, Zuko following close behind.

The tension is high as you lead him through the rocky walls. It's not far to his room, but the walk seems to last a lifetime. You try to focus on your breath, and not his feet shuffling behind you.

“Here you go,” you say as you reach the door. You cross your arms in front of your chest. “We’re gonna have lunch soon, so come out when you're settled.”

He pushes past you, and you can tell he makes a point to brush your shoulder with his. You ignore the way your breath catches in your throat. He steps into the room, sitting on the bed and looking back at you. His gaze locks with yours, and it takes everything in you to look away.

“Okay, I’m leaving,” you say, twisting on your heels to walk away.

“Wait, y/n!” he calls. You close your eyes, sighing as you turn around. “Are we good?” he asks.

Anger bubbles up in the pits of your stomach. “Are we good?” you say back, an incredulous look on your face. “No, Zuko, we're not good.”

He stands from his spot on the bed. “We used to be best friends,” he says. “I know I did some bad things,” he continues, looking down at his feet, “but I meant it before when I said I've changed.”

“I never needed you to change, Zuko,” you say sharply. “You being good or bad was never an issue to me.” You press your lips together and take a deep breath, your arms still crossed firmly against your chest. “If your moral compass was important to me then we wouldn’t have been friends at all.”

He sighs. “What is it then?” he asks. “You wouldn't talk to me the whole time I was back in the fire nation.” He looks up at the ceiling, then back at you. “I came by your house every day for two weeks, and then one day you were just gone.”

“I guess I changed too,” you say. You reach a hand up to your hair to twist the strands between your fingers, a nervous tick you've had since you were a little girl. Zuko notices but doesn't say anything. When you were kids he used to pull your hand from your hair to lace his fingers with yours. “I'm gonna go help Katara make lunch.” You turn again, this time walking away before he can stop you. “Come meet us whenever you’re ready.”

You round a corner, now out of Zuko’s sight, and stop to compose yourself. Your heart feels like it's beating a mile a minute you rest your hand over your chest. You close your eyes, leaning against the wall next to you.

“Just classmates, huh?” you hear Toph say. You jump, having had no clue she was near you.

“Spirits, you scared me,” you say, opening your eyes to look at her. You sigh. “Please don't tell anyone?” you plead.

“Fine, your secret’s safe with me.” She crosses her arms. “For now,” she adds. She gives you a smile before turning and running down the hall.

“Toph, come on!” you yell, but she's already out of sight.

It was awkward at lunch, since no one really knew how to talk to Zuko yet. Aang tries his best to include him, and you try your best to not. All in all, it was a mess.

You don't come to dinner that night, instead choosing to sulk in your room. You're having a hard time denying that it seems like the universe dropped him into your lap. You felt the same way when you were six.

You sir in the windowsill stare out of the small window in the room, listening to your friends talk and laugh not too far away, watching the world get dark as the sun sets somewhere above you.

“y/n?” you hear. You turn and look at the doorway. It's Zuko, holding a plate of food. You turn back to look out of the window. “I know you're mad at me,” he says from somewhere behind you, “you have every right to be.” You hear him move closer, placing the plate next to you. “But don't miss a meal because of me,” he continues.

“Don't flatter yourself,” you say, picking up a hunk of bread from the plate and taking a bite out of it.

“Look,” Zuko says, “I'm really sorry for whatever I did to make you so angry with me. The last three years haven't been my finest.” He lets out a small laugh. “But I'm really trying here,” he says, serious now.

The logical part of you wants to believe him, to accept his apology. It would be so much easier than holding onto this anger. That would be the logical thing to do, the good and moral thing, right?

“Try harder,” you say. Moral high ground be damned, for today at least.

\------------

A few days pass, and the tension doesn’t ever subside. Your friends would be stupid to not know something happened, that Zuko was far more than a classmate you met in passing. You’d been sulking ever since he joined the group.

But Aang was learning firebending, and you knew that was way more important. Zuko and Aang came back from their trip to see the firebending masters energized and stronger than they had been before. 

You were finally starting to get used to being around Zuko again. You were still angry at him, but it was getting easier to be around him, easier to sit next to him without wanting to yell.

That is, until he and Sokka leave unannounced.

“Need meat. Gone fishing. Back in a few days. Sokka and Zuko,” Katara says, reading out the note.

“They just left?” you ask, a scowl on your face.

“Yeah,” Katara says, her voice laced with confusion, “but it's okay, they'll be back in a few days.”

The same stinging you felt four years ago bubbles up in your chest. The last time Zuko left, the first time. It's why you're so angry with him. You'd started to feel almost willing to be less mad before this moment.

You groan, sitting down on the ground with a huff.

“Seriously, y/n,” Katara says, sitting down next to you, “what happened between the two of you?” She squeezes your hand.

You sigh, your head falling back to stare at the ceiling. “Zuko used to be my best friend,” you say finally, “back before he was banished. And then when he was,” you say, “he just left. I didn't even get a letter or anything. I had to find out from Azula the next day at school.” You grab a piece of hair between your fingers, twisting and pulling at the strands. “I know it's not fair of me to be mad at him, all things considered,” you say, “but I was just so hurt I couldn't help it.” You look at Katara, wiping away a tear. “Why wouldn't he say goodbye?”

Katara looks at you, realization on her face. “I think you need to ask him that.” You'd always admired her ability to give unbiased advice, even when she was clearly biased.

You know she's right, but you're not sure you're willing to forgive, even though your chest still hurts when you look at him, no matter how much you wish it didn't. It seems like any amount of hurt or anger can make that go away.

\--------------

Zuko and Sokka are back in a few days, Hakoda, and some others, in tow. Katara’s furious when she finds out they snuck into a fire nation prison, but you're just relieved they're back. It's a little bit harder to breathe with Zuko around, but it's grown familiar.

You give Sokka a hug and shake Hakoda’s hand before giving Zuko a glare. You hear him sigh as you look away, turning your attention back to your friends as he shuffled away.

“Still being mean to Zuko?” Sokka asks, his voice low. Katara’s talking to Hakoda and Aang is helping the other’s get settled.

“He still deserves it,” you say back. Katara overhears, looking over at you. She gives you a look. “I'm gonna go for a walk,” you say, turning away from your friends and heading into the walls of the air temple.

You forget which way you're going, absentmindedly making different turns through the corridors. By the time you realize you're passing by Zuko's door, it's too late to turn back. He sits up when he hears shuffling in the hallway, looking out the doorway. He scoffs when he sees you standing in the hallway.

“What, did you come here to yell at me some more?” he asks, pushing himself off the bed to step closer to the doorway.

“I actually hadn't,” you say, “but I can if you'd like. Since you clearly have no regard for the other people here.”

He's confused now. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” He's yelling now, his voice echoing off the walls and hitting you like a blow to the guy. Your friends could probably listen if they tried hard enough.

“It means you left, Zuko!” you say, your tone matching his. “You packed up in the middle of the night and left.” The air around you seems to thicken at your words, making it a little harder to breathe.

You watch his expression soften a little, a glimmer of realization behind his eyes. “Is that why you're so mad at me?” he asks. “Because I left?”

You're torn between still being angry and just giving in, between staying rock hard and melting into a puddle on the floor.

But you're tired. Tired of being hurt and angry, tired of not being able to look at his face without wanting to pull him into you, tired of pretending you don't love him so much it's ripping your heart in two.

“Why did you leave without saying goodbye?” you say finally, surrendering to the ache in your chest. “You didn't even leave a note or anything. I had to find out from your sister.” You wipe away a tear as it falls down your cheek. “You used to tell me you'd take me to see the world and then you did it by yourself.”

You grab a chunk of hair between your fingers, pulling on it slightly. He steps forward to pull your hand away from your head, and you let him.

“I was banished,” he says. “I didn't have a choice.” There's a hurt on his face that you don't think you've seen before. “You didn't come to the agni kai,” he continues. He doesn't add anything else, just leaves these words hanging in the air between you.

“How could I watch that?” you ask. “How could I watch you get hurt?” You've given up on wiping the tears from your face, and they make your face sticky.

“And how could I say goodbye to my favorite person?” he asks, taking a step closer. He reaches up to rest a hand on your cheek, his thumb swiping across your cheekbone to catch a stray tear.

You squeeze your eyes shut, trying to suppress the sob that's threatening to bubble up and out of your chest. It doesn't work. Zuko pulls you into him without giving it a second thought, and you make no attempt to push him away. His hand smooths through the back of your hair.

Every nerve in your body ignites. You're far too aware of how close you are, of how familiar his shirt smells, and how safe his arms feel around you.

“I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye,” he says into your hair. “The thought of not seeing you again hurt more than anything else.” He rests his hands on your shoulders, pushing away just far enough to look at your face. He tucks a piece of hair behind your ear and wipes away a few more tears.

A moment of knowing is shared between the two of you, a moment of clarity. You'd always bordered the line between best friends and more, whether you knew it or not, and something about this exact second in time felt like the step over that line, the crossing of an invisible boundary.

He's looking into your eyes, trying to find something that he lost the day he left. You don't give him any time to find it as you wrap your arms around his neck and press your lips firmly against his. He kisses back in an instant, his hands finding the small of your back and pulling you so your chests are flush. It's strong and long overdue, seven years of longing, and four years of missing all wrapped up in one kiss. 

And it feels like the universe is erupting out of your chest like an exploding star, spilling space dust and secrets and everything else that makes up the cosmos. It's on your face and his face and on his clothes and in your hair and it swallows you whole. It's scary but like nothing you've ever felt before. It's years of unspoken feelings bursting out all at once.

He pulls away, gasping, and the contents of the universe suck themselves back into your chest where they belong.

You're reluctant to trust your voice, but you manage to croak out, “Don't leave me ever again.”

He presses a kiss to the base of your throat. “Never,” he says, his voice almost making your knees buckle.

You know it's a lie, that he can't stay next to you forever, but you pretend it's true. 

He presses his lips back to yours. It's soft this time, less longing and anger and sadness being thrown at each other all at once.

It doesn't last long, though, as a gasp interrupts the two of you. You both jump and look at the doorway. 

It's your friends, staring at the two of you, jaws on the floor. They must have heard the yelling. Or maybe they felt a star explode and followed the trail of stardust.

“So you two were just classmates?” Aang asks, smiling.

“I guess we can't say no?” Zuko says. You roll your eyes and elbow his arm.

“No, I don't think you can,” Katara says. “Though, Toph and I already knew.” This starts a fight between the kids in the doorway, but you ignore it. Zuko wraps his arm around your waist and presses a kiss into your hair. It's a not-so calm moment of normalcy, and you soak it in. 

Zuko's hand ignites the bare skin of your hip, and you have no intention of putting it out anytime soon.


	7. "it's okay." | zuko x reader

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hi this is just sort of a mess hopefully someone likes it

You didn’t cry, not usually. Only on rare occasions would you feel a hot tear prickle in the corners of your eye, and they would fall on even rarer ones.

Zuko knew this. He knew how high your walls were, having climbed them on his own a few times before. He knew the outward display of emotion made your stomach turn, that it made you feel sick. He had seen you cry just once before, when someone you love had gotten sick.

_“Y/N,” he said, shifting to try to see your face, your features dimly lit only by the light of the moon coming through the window, “are you crying?” There’s a stinging deep in his chest at the thought, and it sucks the wind out of him_

_You turn away further, but he catches you wiping the skin of your cheeks with the tips of your fingers. “No, I’m not,” you say, but he hears your breath catch in your throat._

_“Y/N,” he says again, reaching around your sullen body and wrapping his fingers around your wrists. He gently pulls your hands away from your face and tugs at the knee furthest from him, causing you to turn in his direction. “It’s okay,” he says, dipping his head to look at you and wiping the pads of his thumbs against your wet cheeks._

_You shake your head. “No, it’s not,” you say simply, and he feels another tear drop against the skin of his hand as it rests firmly on your jaw._

_He sighs and presses a chaste on your forehead. You let out a choked sigh, resting your forehead against his chest._

You didn’t cry, but there was a sob bubbling up in the pits of your stomach, you could feel your chest starting to tighten and your breath catching in the back of your throat. The unfamiliarity of the feeling was enough to knock the wind out of you. It felt like you had taken the bolt of lightning to your chest too.

You’re over him in an instant, peeling away the fabric of his shirt, sucking in a breath when you see the markings on his skin.

Zuko feels your tears drop against his chest, soaking into his skin before being replaced by fresh ones. “Y/N,” he says. But you’re frantic, telling him to wait until Katara gets back, trying to find anything else to soothe the area. “Y/N,” he says again, louder this time, using his little strength to grip your wrists.

“What?” you say finally, your voice coming out panicked and shaky.

“Please, stop crying,” he pleads, releasing one of your wrists to swipe his thumb across your cheeks. You hadn’t even realized you’d started, now suddenly aware of the tears dropping off your chin. You blink a few times, trying to will them to stop. “It’s okay,” Zuko whispers, tucking a piece of hair behind your ear.

“Is it?” you ask him, your voice full of doubt. He reaches up to gently press his thumb against the crease between your eyebrows, trying to smooth out the worry on your face.

He smiles at you. “Of course, it is.”

And he’s right, because Katara’s running over just a few seconds later, and you let out a breath you didn’t even know you were holding. Later he’ll tell you that your tears were magic, that they healed him before Katara had even sat by his side. And you know he’s just trying to make you feel better, but his voice is so genuine, maybe you believe him just a little bit.


End file.
